One Last Christmas
by Mrs.DamonS
Summary: "For one last Christmas, one last time. One last season when all the world is right. One more telling of the story, one more verse of Silent Night. They'd give anything so he could have one last Christmas." AH
1. Chapter 1

One Last Christmas

Summary: "For one last Christmas, one last time. One last season when all the world is right. One more telling of the story, one more verse of Silent Night. They'd give anything so he could have one last Christmas.

Prologue  
>Bella<p>

It's so stupid, the things that we think are important can change in just an instant. I was the popular girl at school, I thought that was the most important thing to me. It wasn't. I'm ashamed to admit that I picked on people, I was the school bully, but people still wanted to be my friend. Except for one boy, Edward Cullen. He didn't care if I picked on him, if I thought he was a nerd, he went ahead and did his own thing.

Now, here I am…. Sitting next to Edward, holding his hand and fighting tears from coming down my face. "You'll be okay," I muttered as I squeezed his hand. He was unconscious, he had been for a few hours now, and I was scared.  
>"Bella, you need to take a break," I looked up and saw Esme standing behind me. I shook my head and squeezed his hand even harder.<br>"No, I want to be here when he wakes up."  
>"You know I'll call you when he wakes up," Esme said and finally I conceded to leave.<br>"Esme, I am so sorry for how I treated him. It was wrong, and I am so sorry! I can never fully apologize for what I did, and I'll never be able…."  
>"Bella, Bella! It's okay, he knows that you're sorry. Stop regretting what is past, focus on now." Esme gave me a gentle hug, "Right now, you need to rest. I promise, I'll call you when he wakes up."<br>"Okay, thank you," I said and walked out of the room. So much had changed in the past three months. A boy that I had no feelings for other than disgust had become one of my closest friends, not even a close friend, I had fallen in love with him.

A/N: So what do you think? I know, this is my first story in a very long time! I have slept, worked, and studied for the past few months but I just finished my last final so I'm writing a Christmas story! Please review! My plan is to update pretty frequently!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

One Last Christmas

Chapter 1  
>Bella<p>

I can't remember a time that Edward wasn't in school. Even in elementary school, he was the weird kid who sat by himself rather than with our class. That

was when my popularity began, in first grade, everyone wanted to be my friend and I thought that was important.

I was a little brat in elementary school, I got whatever I wanted, and all I had to do was say I wanted it and it was in front of me; that continued through

middle school. As I got older, I gained more friends, I continued to think that was important.

"Bella, do you think he actually pays for that shirt?" Angela said this freshman year of High School. Edward was wearing this awful sweater vest that we

had thought his mom picked out for him.

"Probably, he doesn't have any fashion sense," I said with a smirk as I stared straight at him, he was close enough that he had to have heard what we

were talking about.

"Do you have anything better to do than pick on people who aren't as good as you?" Edward had shot back, I simply smirked and shook my head.

"Nah, this is my fun. Shouldn't you be doing math? I mean that's what you do for fun right?" I asked looking around at the many people around me, "We

all know you have no friends."

"How could he? Look at him?" Mike added high fiving his best friend, Eric.

"Have you ever even kissed a girl? I mean besides a family member on the cheek," Eric asked, that was when we broke Edward. He had nothing else to

say, he returned to his table, grabbed his stuff and left the cafeteria.

I was the mean girl on campus, my target had always been Edward Cullen, I never truly understood why either. Soon, he stopped coming to school

altogether, I always thought it was because I picked on him but it wasn't.

"Bella?" I turned from my locker and saw a little pixie haired girl staring at me, her face had been full of determination, "The fact that you looked confirms

you are Bella. You don't look as great as I've heard, and I just wanted to say that you don't deserve anything you have. Are you just acting? You don't have to be as

mean as you act. Now is your time to prove it, my brother is dying and the only thing I want is for you to tell him you're sorry for everything you have done, or said,

to him!"

With that, the pixie girl walked away. Edward was dying? There was no way, he seemed so healthy; how could he be dying?

"Hey!" I called and she turned, "I'm sorry."

"Don't tell me, tell him." That was when my road to recovery began, the day Alice Cullen called me out on being a bully. That's what led me to the front

steps of the Cullen house, that day after school.

A/N: Can I just say that it was hard writing a rude Bella? I tried to channel my inner Alison DiLaurentis, if anyone has seen Pretty Little Liars, that's who I was mostly basing her character off! I love the favorites and story alerts that I received, but I would really love feedback! Thank you to all who reviewed, can't wait to read your thoughts!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

Chapter 2

I recall the day so perfectly. It was a nice spring day, the breeze blew my hair slightly, and I was terrified to get out of the car. I was the bully who teased

Edward, now here I was, apologizing to him for everything I had ever done. Why was I apologizing? Was it because I knew he was dying?

Reluctantly, I opened my car door and walked to the front door of the Cullen house. I rang the doorbell and had nothing to do but wait until someone

answered the door. I'm not going to lie, the thought of leaving crossed my mind, I could easily have left and no one would know that I had been there. After what felt

like 5 minutes, I turned to leave and immediately heard the door knob turn, I froze in my tracks, scared to face whoever opened it.

"Can I help you?" I turned and saw a woman that looked to be about 40. All I can say is that at that moment, I saw Edward in her. Edward had the same

caramel colored hair as hers, and the same face structure.

"Um… Yes… No… I don't know," I said feeling like a little girl facing punishment. "I'm Bella Swan."

I expected her to yell at me, but she didn't. The woman smiled and ushered me in, "Alice said that you might be coming by. I'm happy you're here!"

"You are?" I was so confused! I bullied her son, why was she happy I was here?

"Of course! Don't think I haven't heard about you." Crap! She had heard about me. I braced myself for the yelling that was soon to come, "Edward talks

about how beautiful you are all the time."

What?

"I'm sorry?" I was more confused than before.

"Let me get him for you." The woman left me still in utter confusion. Edward talked about how beautiful I was? He didn't talk about the bad things? Wait…

Edward thought I was beautiful? Hold on a minute! Why should I care if he thought I was beautiful?

"Bella?" I looked behind me and saw a very thin Edward staring at me.

"Hey." Why was I getting butterflies? I had been around him before and never felt anything like this before. It had to be because he was dying! That's the

only thing that made sense.

"What are you doing here?" I motioned for him to sit down, he was so thin. How long had he been sick?

"The better question is why does your mom not know about how mean I am to you?" I asked. I wasn't going to beat around the bush, I needed to know.

"I don't want her to worry. She worries enough about me, everyone does. I'm tired of being worried about."

"Edward, I came here…" I trailed off. How was I supposed to say this? "I came here… Because, I wanted to say I was sorry. I haven't treated you the way I

should, and I've done nothing but make fun of you all through school."

"Bella-" He held up his hand, but I was determined.

"No! Please, let me finish! It was wrong of me to do that to you, and I don't have an explanation of why I did it."

"I do," I stared at him, how could he know why I did it? "It made you feel good. That's why anyone picks on anyone."

"I made fun of you for so long, I would understand if you don't accept my apology." Awkward silence followed. "How long?"

"Till I die?" I nodded, "No one knows. They just know it's become really aggressive. Is that why you're here? You're apologizing because I'm dying?"

"No," Edward gave me a stare like he didn't believe, I didn't even believe myself! "Maybe…"

"Don't beat yourself up about it. But if it makes you feel better, I accept your apology."

"Thanks." It did make me feel better, now I had to change for the rest of the school. "Um… Do you need anything? I can pick up your books and homework

from school? I can tutor you too! We're in almost the same classes anyway."

"Seriously? Bella, I'm dying, what's the point of school?" He was right. What was the point?

"It'll take your mind off of everything else."

"You really wanna do something for me?" I nodded and he sighed; it was like he was contemplating if he really wanted to say what was next. "Just be my

friend. Come over and hang out with me."

"On one condition, you have to still do school work." I held out my hand, he looked at it as if he was scared to touch me. "I'm not contagious!"

"Are you sure? I don't want to catch the mean girl syndrome." I gave him a shove and forced my hand into his. It's a deal, we shook on it! Tutoring for

hanging out. "Oh, you wouldn't get the mean girl syndrome. You're a guy…"

A/N: Hello everyone! Look what I have for you? An update just one day later! Thank you for the reviews! I'm so excited to see what you're thoughts are of this chapter! I'm working on the next chapter now so we'll see how fast I can update again! Don't forget to review!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

Chapter 3

Months passed by quickly, and so did junior year, but as time passed Edward got weaker and weaker. Even after school ended, I continued to hang

out with him; some days we would just sit there and do nothing. After everything I had done, everything I had said to him, it was hard to believe that those

were the days I cherished. As Edward's cancer got worse, he was in and out of the hospital more and more. I still went to be with him, even if he was in the

hospital. Even then, some days were better than others.

I could never tell what mood he would be in when he was in the hospital. There were days he was bent over a trash can, exhausted from throwing

up, that was a result of the treatment. Then, there were the days when he was upset over how everyone acted around him. Finally, there was the normal

Edward, the one that I normally sat with and did nothing with.

"Leave me alone!" I heard the yelling before I even stepped off of the elevator. Groaning, I continued towards Edward's room. It wasn't that I

dreaded being with this Edward… Okay, maybe I did dread being with this Edward. But, I was normally the only one who could calm him down.

I was about to walk in when Esme came out of the room, "Bella, I am so glad you're here! He's in a mood today."

"I'll stay with him for a while if you want to go to the cafeteria or go home and rest," I offered. I could see how this was affecting her, she was tired

and worn.

"Thank you!" She gave me a gentle hug and walked away.

Bracing myself, I walked into the room to see things flying across the room. The nurses were trying to sedate him; man, Esme wasn't kidding!

"Edward Cullen, what is your problem?" I asked flinging my jacket onto the chair and standing next to him.

"My problem," he sighed, "is that everyone is treating me like I'm helpless. I'm sick of everything." I motioned for the nurses to leave, I needed

alone time with Edward.

When they were gone, I sat down on the bed and took Edward's hand in my own, he smiled at me even though I knew he was in so much pain.

"What?"

"You never would have done that before," Edward observed, a small smile played on my lips. He's right, this is a new me, a changed me. I owe

Edward everything, he changed me in ways that I didn't know I needed.

"It's because of you that I'm different," I admitted and squeezed his hands, "Edward, I like this routine that we have."

"Too bad it'll be over soon," Edward said looking down. I frowned, he always did this! Anytime I brought up how much I valued his friendship, he

got all negative on me!

"Edward-"

"Bella? I thought I heard your voice," that was when Jacob Black entered the room. He was one of the friends that I tried to be cool for. Not

anymore. "What are you doing here with the loser?"

"You mean Edward? I'm hanging out with him," I said and looked at Edward, "He's my friend."

"What? Bella, you've worked hard to be popular. You're throwing it away for him?" Jake asked completely taken back by my actions.

"Yeah, I am. He's special," I said and turned back to face Edward, Jake left the room.

"I can't believe you just did that."

"I can't believe he didn't know! Most of the school knew by the time it was over," I laughed then looked around, "Wanna watch some TV?"

"Yeah," he moved over so I could get on the bed next to him, his arm went around my shoulder and my head rested on his shoulder. That's how we

spent our days for the most part, sitting together just watching TV. It never stopped feeling weird to have his arm around me, but it always felt right.

I'll never forget the day that we sat in the hospital bed just watching TV, one reason is because it was when I finally admitted to myself that I was

completely in love with him. The other reason is because it was when the doctor came in and gave us the news.

"Where are your parents?" I climbed out of the bed and looked at Edward.

"I know his mom went down to the cafeteria," I answered and ran out of the room to get her. I found her crying over a cup of coffee and a slice of

cake. "Esme?"

"Oh, Bella," Esme wiped a tear away, it broke my heart to see this sweet woman like this.

"The doctor wants to talk to you and Carlisle," I told her. She dialed Carlisle and we went back up to Edward's room.

"It has to be good news," Esme said on the elevator up. At the time, I thought she was talking to me, but I honestly believe she was trying to

convince herself more than anyone.

"Dr. Benson, Bella said you wanted to talk to me?" I settled down next to Edward again, holding his hand tight.

"Yes, is your husband here?"

"He'll be here shortly. Please, tell me, I'll fill him in," Esme said and that's when it happened. I silently prayed for the best news, that the cancer

was gone, he had gone through so much treatment that it had to be gone.

"From Edward's latest test, it has shown that there are no cancer cells in his body," I breathed a sigh of relief and hugged Edward, the news had

frozen him.

I really wish I could say that was our happy ending, and that Edward and I ended up together with three children. But that's from the end of my

journey with Edward.

A/N: Hello everyone! Look what I have for you? An update just one day later! Thank you for the reviews! I'm so excited to see what you're thoughts are of this chapter! I'm working on the next chapter now so we'll see how fast I can update again! Don't forget to review!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

Chapter 4  
>Bella<br>August 25th

It was August 25th, the day before school started, it had been 3 wonderful months since Edward's cancer had disappeared. Edward had never looked better,

he gained weight and went back to the size he had been during freshman year. The only bad part? We were still just friends. I hated it. I wanted to be so

much more than friends, I knew he did too but he never acted on it.

"Are you coming back to school?" I asked Edward as we laid on his bed, our hands intertwined, resting on his stomach.

"I don't think so."

"Why not? You can't say it's because you're behind!" He had kept his end of the deal and let me tutor him, he had gotten straight A's in all his

classes. Not to toot my own horn, but I am an excellent tutor; toot! Toot!

"Bella, I never fit in there. Plus, I like having my own personal tutor," he said kissing the back of my hand.

"Come on, we'd make quite the scene walking in together as friends," I had put an emphasis on the last part, just to see his reaction.

"Yeah, I think we'd make the cover of the yearbook." No reaction.

"So, you still feeling okay?" It had been three months, but the thought of the cancer coming back scared me. The fact that I was going back to

school didn't help either, now I was afraid that I would arrive at his house only to find a note saying he had been taken to the hospital.

"Bells, I'm fine! You really need to stop worrying about me all the time. Senior year is starting! Aren't you excited?"

"Of course! I'd be more excited if you were going with me." It was quiet for a bit, in the past those silences were awkward. Now, it felt like we were

communicating, just silently.

"You coming to my appointment this afternoon?"

"Of course! I'll leave school right at 3, if you have to start without me though," I hated the thought of missing anything with his appointment."

"Don't worry, I'll tape everything!" Edward laughing pulling me closer to him. We laid like that for hours, my head on his chest, all I wanted was to freeze time

and stay like this forever.

"Bella! It's so good to see you again!" Jessica said the moment she spotted me in the school halls, "Let me just say, I am loving the outfit."

"Thanks Jess! It was a crazy summer," I admitted.

"I bet, being friends with Edward is crazy. I can't believe you're still friends with him." I stared at my best friend, she was the one that I thought

would be behind me the whole time, not one judging me.

"He's a good person Jess. I started hanging out with him because I felt guilty, he was dying and I had been mean to him. But now, I like hanging

out with him."

"Oh my goodness! You're in love with him!"

"Yeah, I am." I admitted to her, "You know what? I don't care if the whole school knows."

"Bells, I'm proud of you. You didn't stick to the status quo."

That was when my phone rang, the shrill sound scared me, it was early so I knew Edward's appointment hadn't happened yet. But it was his name

appearing on my phone.

"Hello?" I couldn't hide the nervousness in my voice.

"Bella, there's been an accident. Edward was taken to the emergency room." This was the call that I had always been afraid of.

A/N: Even I know this wasn't my best chapter. But hey, we all have those off chapters! I knew how I wanted it to end, and I knew how I wanted it to begin. It was the middle that I wasn't sure about! That shouldn't stop you from reviewing!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

Chapter 5

The next few days passed in a blur, I was forced to go to school when all I wanted was to stay by Edward's side as he went through this awful phase again.

The cancer had spread drastically throughout his body, and at this stage, there was nothing else that could be done. It was like the doctors signed his death sentence,

they just gave up, and I was furious!

"No, there has to be something," I said as I paced Edward's hospital room, the doctors were in there once again to talk to us.

"Miss. Swan, I assure you that if there was something else that we could do, then we would do it. We told you-"

"Yeah, I know what you told me. But there has to be something! We can't just give up!"

"Bells, it's over," Edward said and that's when I broke. The doctors walked out and I got on the bed next to Edward. It was odd that he was the one

comforting me, I should have been comforting him.

"Edward…" I couldn't finish my sentence through the tears.

"I'm getting out of here this afternoon," Edward said kissing the top of my head and stroking my hair. "Let's do something."

"Yeah, I'd like that," I said, "Well, we're back to where we started huh?"

"I guess so. Can you get my bags and things out of the closet? I want to get out of here as fast as I can." I nodded and began getting things ready for him

to leave this dreadful place.

The next few days passed by peacefully, Edward and I were together basically 24/7. When I was out of school there was a good chance that I was at his

house playing video games, watching movies, or doing nothing. When I was in school, I texted him all day long, just to make sure that he was alright. I think that he

got tired of my texts sometime, but I didn't care. Edward got weaker and weaker as the days passed, he hardly left his bed, and I hardly left the couch in his room.

Soon, homecare came in and began setting things up to make his remaining time more peaceful.

"Bella, can you come downstairs for a minute?" Esme whispered as Edward slept. I looked at him and reluctantly left his room.

"What's wrong?"

"There's something I need your help with. Edward has three weeks left, at most, do you know what that means?" I shook my head, "He won't be here for

Christmas."

How could I not even realize that? It was the beginning of September, so he would… he wouldn't be here anymore starting in October. "You want to give

him one last Christmas, right?"

"Yes, I need your help with it. I need to have him here for one last Christmas," Esme said and broke down.

"I'll help you." I took a deep breath, "Esme, there's something you need to know. When I first came here to talk to Edward, it was to apologize to him."

"I know Bella," I looked at her, she knew? "I know that you bullied my son, but you were a different person then. Bella, these past few months have been

the best to my son, and it's because of you. Thank you."

Tears began to well up in my eyes. My own mom was in and out all of my life, and my dad… Well, he died back in 2005. I lived alone with my neighbors

checking up on me every now and then. But here lately, the Cullen family had become my family. Esme treated me like one of her own, and I was grateful to her,

Carlisle, and Alice for everything they had done for me.

"Thank you so much Esme," I said and she pulled me into a hug. "We'll make this the best Christmas that this town has ever seen!"

"I hope so!" Esme said with a smile. I walked back to Edward's room, he was still asleep, I gently brushed the hair from his face and kissed his forehead.

After that, I settled down on his couch, pulled out my phone and began my job.

A/N: Sorry for not updating yesterday! I began working full time again and so I haven't had the chance to sit down and write! But here ya go! Sadly, the next chapter will be the last official chapter and then I'll have an epilogue. Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

Wherever you are, no matter how far  
>Come back to the heart, the heart of Christmas<br>**Live while you can, cherish the moment**  
><strong>The ones that you love, make sure they know it<strong>  
>Don't miss it, the heart of Christmas<p>

Chapter 6

Everything was coming together, the whole school was in on my plan, and they were all on board with it. Today was my last chance to let everyone know

what would happen, the school was having an assembly so I could talk to the entire school about my plan. I was nervous by the time it came around, I had practiced

what I was going to say a dozen times and even wrote note cards so I didn't choke and stop talking.

People started coming in about 10 minutes after I arrived at the gym, as I saw the bleachers fill with more and more people, the butterflies in my stomach

grew and grew. I looked at the blown up picture of Edward and I that was hanging behind me. It made me smile, it had been taken when the cancer was not a part of

his life. We had been at the park all day, just hanging out and talking, I begged him to let me take a picture, and finally he did.

"Hello, everyone," I was broken out of my thoughts when Principle Barnes began talking, "I won't delay any longer, without further ado here is Bella Swan."

There was no clapping, I'm glad there wasn't. "Hi everyone," I looked in the audience and found Esme and Alice's familiar face, "I know you are probably

quite surprised to see this picture up behind me. That's because for most of our school career, I bullied Edward and I'm not proud of things I did or said to him. Last

January, his sister confronted me in the hallway and told me that the only thing she wanted for her brother was for me to apologize. The next day, I found myself in

his driveway, and I couldn't help but wonder if I was only apologizing because he was dying. At that time, I think that was the only reason."

I took a shaky breath, I looked at Alice and saw she was crying. "This past summer was the best summer of my life. For most of it, Edward was cancer

free, and this picture behind me was taken during this summer. I remember a few days before school started, I was begging him to come back and we joked about

what a sight it would be that he and I were friends. The first day of school is when my phone rang saying that Edward had been taken back to the hospital, his cancer

had returned. It's September 29th, Edward has 4 weeks left." I looked at Esme and Alice and gave them a nod, I waited for them to join me on stage before I

continued. "This is Edward's sister, Alice, and his mom, Esme. These two have been a major part of my change. Alice for beginning it, and Esme… She accepted me

when I wouldn't have accepted someone in my position. This was her idea. We're giving him one last Christmas, I've talked to a lot of y'all about it already. On

October 13th, I would like to host a Christmas caroling thing outside of his house."

"I would like to add, we are trying to get him presents as well," Esme added, "So please, pretend that it is Christmas so my son can have his last one. Our

last one as a family."

"Are there any questions?" Principle Barnes asked and almost all the hands shot up. My eyes began to mist over, Edward had always been that nerdy kid

that didn't have friends… Maybe it was just because his time was short, but now everyone wanted to be there for him. "Let's take a few, then you can find Bella or

Alice and ask them more questions."

The questions we took were mostly about what Edward liked, what time the caroling would begin… Simple things that I expected to hear. I heard those

questions all day long and I was exhausted by the time school ended. I wanted this to happen, but I was tired of hearing the same questions over and over.

When I arrived at the Cullen house after school, I was so relieved to just be with Edward and his family. I was ready to just relax. Edward was sitting up in

his bed, playing solitaire when I walked in.

"Yes! I have an opponent now, wanna play a game?" I nodded, I loved my time with him. "What do you wanna play? I'm pretty good at most games. So

don't cry when I beat you."

"I'll try my best. Um… Wanna play war? I mean, since you're declaring war anyway," I said and began laying the cards so we each had half of the deck.

"Bells," I looked up at Edward but continued dealing, "I want you to have this. I started making this over the summer, it's a scrapbook. I have loved our

time together, and I want you to have this to remember me by."

"I won't need it. I'll always remember you." Without even thinking about it, I leaned forward and kissed him straight on the mouth! It was everything that

I expected it to be, it was sweet… sweet… and right? It was right to kiss him, more of I mean it felt right. His lips were soft and gentle against mine.

"Bella," he broke away and leaned his forehead against mine, "Don't do this."

"Do what?" I asked and kissed him again, again he broke away.

"I don't want to leave you in pain. That's what would happen if we…"

"Edward, I love you! Yes, I'll be in pain when you…"

"Die?" A smirk played on his lips.

"Yes… But I'm not in pain now, I'm happy! I'm happy with you, so please just let us be happy," I said and saw him in pain by having to decide, "Don't think

about it now. Just hold me."

"Of course, love," he held his arms open for me, I laid my head on his chest and just relaxed. Before I knew it, I was sound asleep.

"Oh, is she asleep?" I began to stir when I heard Alice's voice, Edward's hand stroking my shoulder.

"Nope, I'm awake. What's up Al?" I asked looking at her.

"Um… Can you come downstairs?" I looked up at Edward and regretfully got up out of bed. I was about to leave when Edward grabbed my hand and pulled

me back to him.

"I love you too," he said before kissing me again, "We're happy, and we will be for the rest of time." I knew he left out one word in that sentence for me.

"Good, I'll be back in a little bit," I said and walked out. Alice was standing outside the door with tears in her eyes, "What's wrong Al?"

"You've made him so happy, thank you so much!" Alice attacked me with a hug and began sobbing even harder.

"It's okay, he's made me happy too." He had. Edward had made me happier than I could have ever imagined, he gave me a family and it was the one thing

that I had always wanted. "Alright breathe Alice, now what did you want me to come downstairs for?"

"Oh right!" She grabbed my hand and pulled me downstairs to see the Christmas tree lit beautifully. There were at least 20 presents already under the

tree, all for Edward.

"Let's get him down here," I told Esme and Alice, both agreed that we should. But when I went up to get him, he was fast asleep. I didn't have the heart to

wake him so we decided to wait to show him.

"Bella, you want something to eat?" Esme asked as I settled on the couch to watch some movies with Alice and Esme.

"No thank you, I'm really not hungry," With that, we started watching movies based off of Nicholas Spark's books and crying our eyes out. It felt… normal…

It was amazing how normal my life felt even though I was losing the love of my life.

"Thirteenth of October, His time was wearing thin. Friends and family, even strangers that they didn't even know brought presents in. He was weak but he was

smiling, like there was nothing even wrong, they said he wouldn't make it, looks like he got to see it after all."

October 13th

"Bella? What's that noise?" I woke up and looked around the room, I was in Edward's room and he was staring at me. "Is that singing?"

"I don't know, is it?" I asked with a smile on my lips, "Come on, do you wanna go outside?"

"I would love to," he said and began getting up out of bed. His clothes were so baggy that Esme had to take them in to make them fit him, it broke

my heart to see him so skinny but he never let it bother him.

"Let me help you," I said rushing to his side and letting him lean on me as support. We had never been closer than we had in the past few

weeks, I stopped going to school but I still had people bring me my work. I was a straight-A student before so I wasn't too worried about anything, I wanted to spend

my time with Edward more than anything.

Without much difficulty, we walked downstairs and outside where the student population of Forks High School was outside of Edward's house singing

'Silent Night', I looked up at Edward and smiled. "This is for you, it's Christmas."

"Bells," he wrapped his other arm around me and gave me a full on hug. Esme brought his wheelchair out so Edward could sit and enjoy the Christmas

music more.

"Edward," Jake came forward, "Bella helped get the school together, and… I want to apologize to you. I just envied your life I guess… I don't know… But anyway, I'm sorry, man."

"It's okay," Edward said and the two men shook hands, more students lined up and apologized to Edward for things they had said. I sat on the step next to

Edward's leg and smiled, everything had gone just like I wanted it to. Edward had a great time, he opened some presents that people brought him, and when it was

time to quit… Well, let's just say that no one wanted to leave. Esme and I helped Edward back upstairs to his bed, and I had to fight back tears.

"Bella, thank you for that." Edward said after Esme left the room, I sat on the edge of his bed and held tight to his hand.

"It was Esme's idea, I just pulled people together," I said as a tear rolled down my cheek, "I love you so much Edward."

"I love you too, Bella. Lay with me until I fall asleep?" I nodded and crawled into bed next to him, he held to me as tight as he could.

Edward Cullen died that night, he died peacefully in his sleep, with me in his arms. I would never forget Edward Cullen, he touched my life in ways that other

people could never replace. I regret everything that I did, he forgave me long ago, but I never forgave myself until he told me loved me because it was then that I

knew he truly forgave me.

A/N: I'm finally over my allergies! I was able to write a chapter, this chapter was almost 2000 words long and was almost bringing me to tears! I will have an epilogue, I'm thinking of having it set about 5 years later, would y'all like that? Let me know! I really hope you liked this story, because I enjoyed writing it! I didn't enjoy the death, but I enjoyed everything else! Please review! I hope to have the epilogue posted tomorrow!


	8. Epilogue: A Different Kind of Christmas

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

It's time to put the candles in the windows, the lights upon the tree  
>It's time to fill this house with laughter like it used to be<br>Just because you're up in heaven, doesn't mean you're not near  
>It's just a different kind of Christmas<br>It's just a different kind of Christmas this year

Epilogue: Different Kind of Christmas

"Oh, Bella! You made it! I was so worried that you wouldn't," Esme said giving me a tight hug as I walked in to the familiar house. Time and stress had

taken their toll on Esme, she looked much older than she was, but she was still the woman I loved.

"I told you I would," I said with a smile. My eyes glanced over a room upstairs, it had been left untouched for years.

"Where's Phillip? And the kids? Where are they?" Esme asked putting her hands on her hips making me smile.

"He's getting them out of the car, he wanted me to come inside though." It had been 6 years since Edward died, I had graduated college as Bella McKinney.

A married woman with two newborn twins. It had taken a special man to take me after Edward, he had to know that a part of my heart would always be with Edward.

Phillip was 3 years older than I was, he loved me with all of my faults, he let me sit up and cry to him at night if I was thinking about Edward.

"Brr! It's cold out there!" Phillip said coming inside the house with Emma and Anna next to him, "Hey mom!"

"Hi, Phillip! How are you?" Why did Phillip call Esme mom? She was our mom, not legally but she took care of me a lot, even after Edward died. My mom

ended up dying not too long after Edward, it was rough, but Esme let me move in with them until I finished high school. I ended up staying all through college as

well, this was my home.

"Cold! Hey, a couple of little girls here have something for ya," Emma and Anna ran forward and gave Esme two drawings that they had done.

"Oh, girls! These are beautiful, hey, I have some cookies in the kitchen if you want some," Esme said, and without another word the girls tore off to the

kitchen, Esme was right behind them.

"Didn't have to tell them twice," I laughed and settled down on the couch.

"You okay?" Phillip asked sitting down next to me, I nodded and gave a weak smile.

"It's just not any easier, I thought it would be," I said and leaned into him.

"Tell me about him, it always helps," Phillip said and I took a shaky breath.

"I was so rude to him, I picked on him for all of school. Alice confronted me and that's when things changed. I began spending time with him, I began

falling in love with him. He was such a good person, he was always smiling, even near the end. He didn't want me to love him, he didn't want to leave me in pain, but

I loved him anyway. I was by his side the entire time… He died with me in his arms, he wanted me to lay with him until he fell asleep, so I did…" I wiped away a tear,

Phillip brought me closer to him.

"Bella? I have something for you," Esme said coming in, she gave me a smile when she saw my state, "I was cleaning his room the other day, just tidying

things up when I found this."

In her hands was the scrapbook that Edward had made for me all those years ago, I smiled and began flipping through it. This was the first time that

Phillip had ever seen what Edward looked like that summer, when he was healthy. "This was the best summer of my life," I told him and fingered a photo that Edward

had taken of himself. "Thank you Esme."

"You're welcome sweetie," I gave her a hug, "Now, I'm going to fix hot chocolate and then we can decorate the tree."

"Oh, Esme, I would love to! Do you mind if I…" I looked upstairs and she shook her head.

"Of course not dear, take your time," I got up and nervously went to the door that held so many memories for me.

With a shaky breath, I opened the door to the room where time stood still. Everything was just as it was on October 13th, 2009. This is gonna sound odd,

but the room still had a lingering smell of Edward, I don't know how, but I really don't care. I sat on the bed where Edward slept and thought back…

_ "Bells? You asleep?" I looked up and saw Edward staring at me from his bed, I gave a smile and went to his side.  
><em>

_ "What's up?"  
><em>

_ "Do you ever think about how things could be different?" I nodded, "I do. Think about if I was completely better. We could have a future together, maybe _

_have a couple of kids."  
><em>

_ "Name one Edward?"  
><em>

_ "Naturally," he said and squeezed my hand, "I'm sorry to do this to you, to leave you like this. If I had any other option to stay… To live longer, you know _

_I would take it."  
><em>

_ "I know," I said and kissed his forehead, "You need sleep, I'll stay here until you fall asleep."  
><em>

_ "Love ya Bells."  
><em>

_ "I love you too. Now sleep!"_

The memory brought tears to my eyes. I loved Phillip, I really did, and he was a great man who loved me very much. He loved our twins with all his heart,

he would spoil them rotten if it wasn't for me. It would be a lie to say he's the only one I could see myself with. I always saw a different future for myself, one with

Edward in it. We were always happy and…

"Bells? Esme wants you to come downstairs, it's time to decorate the tree a little," Phillip said popping his head in the door. I wiped a tear away and told

him I would be down in a little bit.

"Edward, I love you, I love you so much. It's time to start celebrating a different kind of Christmas, a happy one, but you'll always have a part in it. You'll

always be remembered." This may sound odd, once again, but I swear that at that moment Edward was in the room with me.

The rest of my time at the Cullen house was spent reminiscing, we thought about the old times that Edward and I had, the times when we were young.

Phillip laughed and cried through the whole thing, it was like he had been a part of it. The twins enjoyed their time with Alice, Esme, and Carlisle almost as much as I

did. It was like we had taken our first step towards healing as a family, it was a start of a new chapter in our lives.

A/N: That's it! That's the end! I hope everyone has a merry Christmas! Maybe I'll write a short one shot after Christmas, a happy outtake of sorts where Edward survived and they had a future together. Would y'all like that?


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